What a difference a few weeks makes. Spring has definitely sprung and the Orchard is looking beautiful in the sun. If you've not visited the Orchard recently, now is a good time to see the early blossom on the trees.
Early blossom
Our volunteers have busy as ever. Here's a summary of what they've been up to (or plan to in the very near future!)
- planted tiny wild hedge whips and wildflower plugs to help increase our biodiversity and encourage wildlife.
- Establish mistletoe on a couple of our larger apple trees. Hessian strips used to bind the mistletoe to the bark of the trees and prevent the birds eating them. Clever!
For those interested in the variety of hedge whips, here's a list of what was planted.
- Cowslip
- Red Campion
- Field Scabious
- Wild Carrot
- Cuckoo flower
- Ragged Robin
Wild hedge whips
We would also like to introduce the newest member of the Orchard team....Juicy Wilson! Named after a much beloved teacher of James' children who retired after 30 years at the end of this term. The Wilson Juicy is also a variety of apple, although not currently one that grows in the Orchard. Our beloved Deer-dre Appleton had completed a long shift at the orchard and it was time for her to retire. Our thanks to James Reeve, who took the time to construct Deer-dre's replacement.
Newest member of LCO: Juicy Wilson
This blog post ends with the wonderful news that the Orchard was the scene of a marriage proposal! Congratulations to the newly engaged couple. It's so lovely to hear the ways in which the Orchard is visited and enjoyed by the public and members of our community.
